Fear Factor
by OjoOtaku
Summary: We all know the show. What's it like when the Inu gang has to face their fears? Challenge fic... Thanks Inulover37


A/N So. I was challenged by a friend to do this, so I guess here it is. Also, I made up the bugs, I think, so don't go looking up info on the bug I use. **teehee** Please enjoy, love YumiBelle. And, Happy New Year, everyone!

QK[8 Ninja on a skateboard -He's ringin' in the New Year!-

(I'm a little late on that one...)

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Joe Rogen watched the competitors approach him while the blazing sun beat upon the people. There were four teams of two, all carefully selected by Joe and the other producers of the show. He looked at the contestants closely. They had just come from shooting their introductory videos. The fist he saw were the sisters- the only of the group today. One was taller than the other, she had beautiful black hair and was wearing khaki short shorts and a light pink tank top. Her sister was a tad shorter than her, with oddly white hair. She was wearing white denim shorts and the same pink tank top as her sister. They looked confident and ready to fight.

"I'm Kagura, this is my little sister, Kanna." Kagura's voice projected through her throat. Kanna smiled.

"Most people think I'm the older one, but Kanna is." Kagura continued, now sitting by herself in a room. "I'm very determined, and she's very composed and put together. We make a great team, and I love her."  
"Kagura definitely had to convince me to do this. This is, uh, per say very much out of my comfort zone. We want to win the money, and buy lots of bling. But most importantly, we want the money to buy our little brother's birthday present. He's turning 18 and we want to get him a car." Kanna spoke for herself in her own private interview.

"We're not afraid of anything." Kagura spoke once the two were together again.

"We are going to beat all of them." Kanna added at the end.

The next Joe recognized was a couple. The girl was drop-dead gorgeous, her long chestnut hair reaching the middle of her back, even though it was pulled back into a high ponytail. She was wearing light blue denim short shorts and a magenta and black V-neck crop top that tied behind her neck. Holding her hand was her boyfriend. He had jet black hair that was tied into a rat tail. His muscles were exposed through a purple skin tight Nike sport shirt and khaki cargo shorts.

"I'm Miroku." The black-haired male spoke while his girlfriend sat next to him.

"And I'm Sango." His independent girlfriend spoke up.  
"Sango is the love of my life. We've been going out for eight years now, since her Freshman year of High School." Miroku was now in his independent interview. "I was Junior then. I fell in love at first sight. We're on the show because I'm gonna propose to her. When we win, I'll propose to her right on the spot. With the money, I'm gonna buy her the most beautiful engagement ring her eyes have ever seen." Miroku added, his violet eyes twinkling.

"I love Miroku, and he believes we can do this together. And I believe in him." Sango was now in her personal interview. "He says he has a plan with the money but he won't tell me." She smiled.

"We're gonna win. Cream everyone." Miroku spoke confidently, the couple joined back up again.  
"We're the best of the best, and nobody's gonna take us down." Sango added with an elegant smile.

The next Joe saw was the other couple. The girl was very beautiful, her wavy raven hair falling down passed her shoulders. She had on light denim shorts and a green spaghetti strap tank. Her fiancee was walking close to her. His golden eyes were sparkling in the sunlight. He was wearing a red tee and khaki shorts. He had long, peculiarly silver hair. That must've been what she saw in him at first glance.

"I'm InuYasha Takahashi, and I'm not afraid of anything. This here is my lovely fiancee Kagome Higurashi." InuYasha addressed his betrothed sitting next to him.

"He had to talk to me into doing this." Kagome smiled.  
"We had to do more than talk." InuYasha smiled as well. Kagome's eyes grew wide.  
"Yash!" She scolded, her cheeks hinting a pinkish glow

"He's such a kid, but I love him. We need the money for our wedding." Kagome was in her private interview. "He's so sweet, but very protective of me. He'll do anything for me. That's how I know we'll win."

"Kagome's the love of my life. We've been together for about five years. I proposed to her a few months ago, and we need money for our wedding." InuYasha spoke privately. "We're gonna win this."

"We're gonna take the 'fear' and crush it." InuYasha simulated this by smacking his hands together.

"We're gonna win this, and have a dream wedding." Kagome smiled.

The last, but certainly not least, that Joe saw coming near him was the best friends, a girl and a guy. The girl had shortish red hair pulled up into pigtails and she was clothed in a pair of white denim short shorts and a white tube top. The man next to her was very tan and had very thick, brown hair that reach his upper back. He was wearing a white tee shirt and camouflage shorts.

"I'm Koga. This is my best friend, Ayame." Koga introduced himself and his friend who was sitting to the left of him.  
"I'm Ayame. We've been best friends for forever and day." She smiled. Her red hair was shining in the lights of the studio. "If you consider middle school 'forever.'" She added with a giggle.

"I've liked Koga for a long time, but I don't know if he likes me back. It's just easier to stay friends." Ayame nodded in her private interview. "If we win the money, he promised we're gonna go to Walt Disney World." She grinned.  
"Ayame's my best friend. We do everything together. I've never really seen her as more than a friend, but I wouldn't deny that there's something special between us." Koga was in his private interview. "I'm gonna take her to Disney World when we win. All the parks. As long as she wants. She's everything I have."

"What are we gonna do?" Koga asked to Ayame sarcastically when they were together.

"We're gonna win." Ayame answered confidently.

Joe smiled as the row of competitors approached him.

"Welcome, ladies and gentleman, to Fear Factor." He introduced. He received many nods of approval and welcomes from each competitor.  
"I'm glad to see you've all made it here safely. Now, I'm gonna change that." Joe continued. The contestants laughed slightly, some more than others.  
"You are looking at your first challenge." He addressed the course behind him. A truck held oil bins, and over them a helicopter was whirring every few minutes.  
"You and your partner will be in the helicopter. When the time starts, you will jump out of the copter, harnessed together, and you'll stop falling about two-thirds down. The copter will slowly descend and once you hit the ground, start running towards the pick up truck. Once you're in the trailer of the truck, you'll release your harnesses from the ropes and you must open the bins together and get as many of the flags until the truck starts hitting the barriers. At that point, you two must jump off of the truck and onto the padding on the sides. Any questions?" Joe explained the rules of the challenge.  
"Yea, um. What's in the bins, other than flags?" A frightened Kagome wondered.  
"That's for me to know, and you to find out." Joe answered matter of factly.  
"Great." Ayame sighed heavily.  
"Okay, we've selected your positions randomly. Koga and Ayame; You two are up first." Joe spoke. The two stepped forward. "You nervous?" He asked Ayame.  
"Mm mm." She shook her head. "I'm ready."  
"Good. All ya gotta do is get the most amount of flags in the least amount of time." Joe said. "How 'bout you?" He asked Koga.

"Nope. This don't scare me." Koga said. Joe nodded and sent the two off to be prepped.  
After a few minutes, Ayame and Koga were harnessed and had their helmets on. The best friends were up in the helicopter, getting ready for the signal when which came very soon. The moment Joe waved the flag, the two looked at each other with confidence, then leaped from the copter.

Ayame shrieked as if her life was in danger, which it kinda was, and Koga held her tightly in his arms, slightly screaming himself. The two quickly halted, and the copter descended slowly to the ground. The moment the two hit the sand they ran as fast as they could to the truck, and a moment later, the two were hopping into the trailer. Koga got his harness off with ease, but Ayame seemed to be struggling with hers. Koga looked to her, worry masking his face.

"Go on, get the flags." She said, still struggling with the harness. Koga gave a curt nod and went on to open a bin; this came as a struggle as the covers on the bins were very heavy, and they needed at least two people to open them.

"She can't get her harness off." Joe commentated from the sidelines. "And the oil bin lids are really heavy. He's gonna have some trouble getting the lid off by himself."  
"That sucks for them." InuYasha grinned smugly.  
"This is really taking a toll on their time." Joe added seriously.

"Koga!" Ayame squealed, her harness not loosening to her advantage. She could feel the copter begin to pull her further away from the truck. Koga let the lid fall and he ran to Ayame's rescue. He pulled the carabiner off of her harness, releasing the rope that was pulling her back, then pulled her to him.

"Come on." He urged, pulling her to the bin that he'd been working on. The two were able to get the lid off with ease, exposing a platform with an opening in the middle. Ayame reached her hand hesitantly into the gap, feeling around for the flag. She shuddered upon feeling an unknown liquidy substance, but grasped her hands around the flag. She pulled it out and slipped it into the sack that was given to her for the flags to be put.

Meanwhile, Koga had started working on the next bin. He popped the lid and was working on getting it out of the way when Ayame rushed to him, yanking the cover off. She reached her arm in and grabbed the flag with ease, ignoring the substance this time. She put the flag into the sack and her and Koga went onto the next bin. They removed the top with ease, Ayame got the flag, and onto the next bin they went.

"Wow, they are really making up for the time they lost." Joe commentated.  
"But they're close to the barriers, and they've only got three flags." Kagome said.  
"Nope, they just got their fourth." Joe corrected. The others watched in astonishment as the two easily got the fifth flag and made their way to the next bin.

"We can do this, Yams. We got this." Koga encouraged as the two worked off the fifth lid.

"Then you stick your hand in there." Ayame spoke rhetorically, though the matter was no time for joking. Koga had detected the slight sarcasm in the statement, but it didn't stop him from reaching his hand in the barrel and feeling for the flag. He winced at the awkward liquid that he had yet to feel and jerked the flag out of the bin. He handed it to Ayame and they made their way to the next bin. The lid fell off with ease, Ayame reached her hand in and pulled out the flag, and then they continued on.

"They are moving." Joe spoke.  
"Here come the barriers." Sango said observantly.  
"They better hurry." Joe added.

Ayame was about to reach into the seventh bin when the truck smacked into the barrier. Koga quickly ran over to the edge jumping out as Ayame reached in, trying to grab the flag. The flag was hard to find in the liquid, but her supple hand finally grasped it.

"She stayed in!" Joe was shocked. Ayame had only seconds before the truck crashed into a wall that would explode on impact, and she was digging her hand in a barrel.  
"She's crazy!" Kagura commented.

"She better hurry, or she's in some serious danger." Joe spoke cautiously.

"Ayame, get out of there!" Koga screamed to the spunky redhead.  
"I almost got it!" Ayame pulled her hand out of the bin and raced to the edge of truck and leaped off, landing right next to Koga who had been racing beside the truck. She panted, gasping for air, as the truck smashed into the wall, exploding.  
"Don't you ever do something that stupid again." Koga hugged her.

"That was exhilarating." Ayame giggled.

The two walked back to the others.

"That was crazy!" Joe announced, looking towards the two.  
"I know." Ayame agreed with him, smiling.  
"Well, you two got seven flags in three minutes and forty-two seconds." Joe informed. "That's pretty good, especially seeing as you got off to a rocky start. What happened out there?" He asked about the harness issue.  
"Well, I couldn't get the carabiner unlocked from my harness." Ayame said sheepishly.  
"That's okay, though, because you two made up for it. Let's see how your competitors do." Joe said. "Next is InuYasha and Kagome." Kagome's eyes widened.  
"Okay." InuYasha's voice was confidently upbeat. He looked to his fiancee, who was somewhat trembling.  
"You two ready? You need to get at least seven flags in less than three minutes and forty-two seconds." Joe told the engaged couple.  
"Gotcha." InuYasha clicked his tongue.  
"Good luck." Joe sent them off to get prepped.

As the two were getting prepared, InuYasha noticed Kagome shaking. She was deathly afraid of heights.  
"It's okay, babe. Just think about our wedding. I know you can do it." InuYasha kissed her lips to calm her down.

"Okay. Wedding." She spoke, taking a deep breath.  
"Okay, you're all set." The man who was working on them said.  
"Ready?" InuYasha asked her as they stepped into the helicopter.  
"As I'll ever be. Let's get this over with." The copter rose, making Kagome squeal slightly.  
"It's fine." InuYasha relaxed her. Before they knew it, Joe was getting ready to wave the flag.

"Wedding." Kagome repeated to herself. Joe flapped the flag, and InuYasha grabbed Kagome's arms. She was slightly shaking her head 'no' when InuYasha pulled her out anyways. She screamed bloody murder, then the ropes halted the fall. The copter descended, inching the two closer to the ground.

"They stalled for a moment, there." Joe recalled.  
"That may hurt them." Koga spoke in a singsonged tone.  
"At they hit the ground!" Joe announced as InuYasha and Kagome began running towards the truck.

The two hopped in, releasing their harnesses with ease. They immediately began working off the lid off of the first bin. It was showing a lot of resistance, but it popped off and the two lifted up, and InuYasha pulled it out of the way. Kagome looked to him, who gestured to the bin. She hesitantly reached her arm into the bin, a squealed when her hand came in contact with the mysterious liquid.  
"Eek!" She squeaked, jumping slightly.  
"What?" InuYasha asked, worried.

"There's stuff in there." She said, disgusted.  
"Get the flag." InuYasha demanded. She nodded curtly, then stuck her hand deeper. She found the material a second later, and yanking it out, her and Yash went to the next bin.

"They are really going slow right now." Joe said. "They're at almost a minute and a half, and they're now just getting to the second bin. And those barriers are coming up really fast."

"Looks good for us." Koga whispered to Ayame.

"And there's the second the flag." Joe added.

The two made their way to the third barrel, and they began working it off. It popped with ease, and Kagome reached her hand into the bin, still reluctant. She grasped the cloth flag, then pulled it out, slipping it into the sack she was carrying.  
"You take too long." InuYasha commented to his fiancee, somewhat irritated. "I'm getting the next flags." They began working off the next lid without hesitation, and it soon fell to the side. InuYasha reached his hand in and grabbed the flag, showing no sign of disgust upon feeling the liquid. He pulled the flag out and handed it to Kagome, and the went to the next barrel. They removed the lid, then InuYasha got the flag. As they moved to the next bin, the truck smashed into the barrier, causing a squeal to escape from Kagome's lips. The two quickly ran over to the edge of the truck, and hopped over, smacking onto the pads.

"And they're done." Joe called out.  
"Hmm." Ayame sighed. She didn't think that the two got as many flags as her and Koga, but she wasn't sure.

"Are you okay?" InuYasha asked to Kagome as they walked back to the others.

"Mmhmm." Kagome nodded. He grabbed her hand, showing the little affection he had.

"I love you." He said to her.

"Me too, you." Kagome said back. InuYasha kissed her cheek, causing her to relax a bit more.  
"We're gonna win, okay." He spoke lowly.  
"Okay." She smiled. "For our wedding."  
"Yup." InuYasha nodded.  
"I love you." She finally repeated, just as they were getting back to the group.

"So, how was it?" Joe asked.  
"Frightening." Kagome answered. "I'm thrilled it's over."  
"For now." InuYasha added to her.  
"Well, you two got five flags in three minutes and twelve seconds." Joe told them. "So, Ayame and Koga are still in the lead."  
"I see." Kagome sighed.

"Well, next up, Kagura and Kanna." Joe said. The sisters stepped forward, determined to win. "Hello there, girls." Joe spoke.  
"Hi Joe." The two chimed simultaneously.  
"You're goal is to beat Ayame and Koga, or at least InuYasha and Kagome." Kanna and Kagura nodded. They walked off.

"Kanna, we have this, okay." Kagura said to Kanna as they were being prepped.

"I know we can. For Hakudoshi." Kanna hugged her sister as they stepped into the helicopter, and it descended.

"Get ready." Kagura said.  
"Mmhmm." Kanna nodded.

Down below, Joe awaited for the perfect moment to wave the flag. He got the cue from the copter pilot and lifted his arm, signaling the sisters in the air.

"Now." Kagura spoke as she and Kanna jumped out of the safety of the helicopter and into the windy air. They halted two-thirds down, and the chopper descended. The moment they hit the ground they made their way to the truck, and jumped in.

"They were really slow getting to the truck." Joe noted from the sidelines.

"Mm." Kagome nodded in approval, her fingers mentally crossed.

"And now they seem to be having the same trouble as Ayame. They can't get off their harnesses!" Joe was shocked.

"I can't get the harness!" Kanna yelled to her sister.  
"Neither can I!" Kagura shouted back. The girls were desperately working to unlock the carabiner from the rope. Finally, Kanna released hers, and helped Kagura get hers off, and they went to the first bin.

"They got the harness, and now they're getting the first barrel open." Joe said from the sidelines.

"Kanna, come on, lift!" Kagura pressured as the two were struggling to open the first barrel.  
"Got it!" Kanna called as the lid was lifted up and dropped onto the side. Kanna reached in, flinching at the cool liquid in the bin, she was having some trouble getting the flag.  
"What's the problem?" Kagura asked.

"I can't find it." Kanna trailed off in her answer.  
"Get your hand out of there." Kagura urged. Kanna did as so, and Kagura's hand soon replaced Kanna's. "Got it." Kagura pulled the flag out and slipped it into her sack, the two moved on to the next barrel. They were able to remove the lid easily this time, and Kagura stuck her arm in, feeling around for the flag amongst the unknown fluid.

"There's two." Joe narrated.

"They are moving kinda slow." Sango noticed.

"Yeah, they are." Kagome agreed, actually having an experience with the course herself.  
"They need to pick up the pace if they wanna beat you guys." Joe addressed Kagome ans InuYasha.

"Definitely." InuYasha said smugly.  
"Can it Yash." Kagome slapped her fiancee playfully.

"Here come the barriers." Joe noticed.  
"Uh oh." Ayame sang.

"They only have three flags." Joe added.

"Get the next one. Now!" Kanna ordered.  
"Gotcha!" The two quickly moved to the fourth barrel, and worked off the lid. As it fell to the ground, Kagura reached in and felt around trying to find the cloth. She discovered it, just as the truck smashed into the barrier. She pulled her arm out, and slipping the flag into her sack she and Kanna ran to edge and hopped over, stopping the time.

"They're done!" Joe called.

"That sucked." Kanna spoke to Kagura.  
"I know. I'm sorry." Kagura apologized to her sister as they met back up with the group.  
"So, what happened out there, girls?" Joe asked.

"We couldn't unlock the carabiners." Kanna answered.  
"I see, I see." Joe nodded understandingly. "Well, you did manage to get four flags in three minutes, forty-four seconds. If Sango and Miroku don't beat that, then you're in the clear." At that, Miroku grabbed Sango's hand and the two stepped forward.  
"So, you know what ya gotta do." Joe sent them off. "Good luck."

"Listen for a sec. I know that you're not a fan of heights, but just relax and we can win this, okay?" Miroku spoke as the helicopter rose up.  
"I'm fine, Miroku." Sango looked to him, confused.

"I was talking to myself." Miroku looked back to her. She kissed him delicately, making the moment last. When they looked back, Joe waved the flag, and before Miroku could stall, she jumped out with him in her arms. Talk about role reversal.

"There they go." Joe narrated. "They were somewhat stalled, though."

Sango and Miroku hit the ground and began running towards the truck. They hopped in, and it began moving as the two worked off the roped attached to them. It took longer then they had hoped, but they soon made it to the first barrel.

"Damn, this thing is heavy." Miroku stated as him and his girlfriend attempted at pulling the lid off. After a moment it popped off, Miroku pulled it to the side, but not before Sango yelped about something.

"Ouch." She spoke through clenched teeth as she shook her hand.  
"What?" Miroku asked, concerned.  
"I broke a nail." She told him. He stared at her, unimpressed. "What? I broke a nail and I just got a manicure." She repeated.

"Just get the flag." Miroku sighed.  
"You." Sango rebutted. He looked to her. "I broke a nail." She repeated for the third time. Miroku sighed and reached into the bin, searching for the flag.  
"I love you, I love you, I love you," He repeated to himself.

"What are you doing?" Sango questioned him.  
"Reminding myself why I'm here." He told her. He grabbed the flag and they went to the next barrel.

"That took a long time. It looked like they were arguing or something." Joe commentated.  
"That's not so good for them." Kagome interjected.

"Mm mm." Kanna shook her head, fingers crossed.

"Whoa!" Joe announced.  
"What?" The others all asked.  
"They got the second one, and now their onto the third." Joe noted. "That was record time.

"Miroku, lift it!" Sango demanded irrationally.

"I'm trying, Sango!" Miroku rebutted.

"You're not trying hard enough!" She replied. The lid fell to the side, and Miroku anxiously reached his hand inside the bin, retrieving the coveted flag.  
"Happy?" He asked sarcastically, as they began working the next bin.  
"Yes." She smiled at her boyfriend. The lid fell to the side with ease and Miroku retrieved the flag. They were about to go to the next barrel, but the truck smashed into the barrier, and they both ran to the edge, jumping over the edge.

"And, time!" Joe called. "This is gonna be close."

Miroku and Sango walked back to the others.

"So, you two, got four flags." Sango and Miroku tensed. "This ties you with Kanna and Kagura, in amount but the time is what could cost you the game."  
"Well?" Miroku asked.  
"The time to beat was three minutes, forty-four seconds. Your time was," Joe paused for effect, "Three minutes and thirty seven seconds." Miroku took Sango into his arms, kissing her passionately.  
"Get a room." InuYasha called. The lip-locked couple pulled away from each other, and InuYasha received a glare from the agitated Sango.  
"Congratulations, you two." Joe congratulated the two. "Sorry, Kagura, Kanna. But the road ends here for you." He nodded them off, and they waved back to everyone before disappearing down the road.

"Tomorrow is a new day. New challenge. Get ready. See ya guys then." Joe dismissed the others, who were all very happy of themselves.

*.* _ FEAR FACTOR _ *.*

The next day the remaining teams found themselves in a basement.

"I wonder what we're gonna have to do." Sango spoke up.  
"Me too." Ayame agreed.  
"Hello, contestants." Joe said, entering the room. The others greeted him, anxious to get started. "I would like to congratulate Ayame and Koga for yesterday's win. For their victory, they get to pick the order of today's challenge." The two smiled at each other.

"Today's game, will scare you. Look behind me, and you see a clear bin. About big enough to hold a person. Since there are now teams of just girl/guys, the girl will be in the bin, lying on her back. Her hands will be locked on the outside of the bin. That's all that will be outside of the bin. The male will have to climb up the ladder on the left, and once at the top, must dig through our clear box of bugs, with your head, to find the set of keys. Using only your mouth to retrieve and carry the keys, you must get back down to the girl, and hand her the keys- still using your mouth. It's then up to the girl to unlock herself from the casket. There's one catch- the box she'll be in, will also be crawling with thousands and thousands of miniature South African centipedes." Joe explained the task. The last sentence he told them, cause the girls' jaws to drop in disgust. "These babies," Joe picked up one if the centipedes. It was about two inches long, black, and squirmy, wiggling its way around Joe's hand. "The damsel in distress will be covered in them. Derived from rural South Africa, these suckers are nippers. They _will_ pinch, but no need to worry, the poison has been removed from them." Joe dropped the centipede back into the bucket. "Whichever team completes the task in the longest amount of team gets disqualified. Ayame, Koga. Who's going first?" Joe asked. The redhead turned to her friend, and after a small debate, Koga turned to Joe.  
"Miroku and Sango." He said with confidence. Sango shuddered as the two stepped forward.

"Okay, get ready." Joe told the two. They stepped down to the box, and Sango stared at Miroku, shaking in fear.

"It's okay, we can do this." He kissed her on the lips, holding her, relaxing her. She nodded to him, taking a deep breath. She tied back her long, nutbrown hair back into a ponytail, then slipped off her shorts, unveiling a hot pink bikini bottom. She then removed her black tank top, showing off the matching bandeau style top that was hot pink as well, but it had black rhinestones on the trim. She received a few cat calls from her challengers, as well as Miroku. He smiled at her tanned, full formed body and she hugged him.

"I believe in you, baby." He kissed her cheek.  
"I love you, Miroku." She said to him. "God, I love you so much. But if you don't get me out of there as fast as your ass can, I swear you're gonna lose a testicle." She threatened as sweetly as possible. Miroku gulped, nodding quickly.

"Okay, Sango. Into the casket." Joe announced, standing next to the empty case she was to lie in. She swallowed, then got in, resting on her back. The case was closed, and she began taking deep breaths. She stuck her hands through the holes in the case, and her wrists her locked together. Joe opened the hatch near the bottom of the case, on the top, about to dump the bugs onto to her.

"Ready?" He asked. She nodded, not entirely sure. Joe then let the bugs fall into the casket. This caused a shriek to escape from Sango's lips as the thousands creatures walked over her vulnerable body.  
"Miroku!" She screamed, hectically trying to shake the centipedes off of her.

"It's okay, Baby." Miroku called out to her. He was readily standing by the ladder.

"And your time starts, now!" Joe called and Miroku raced up the ladder, getting up to the loft in no time. He looked down into the box of centipedes that he now had to stick his head.

"For Sango." He muttered to himself, taking a deep breath and sticking his head into the box. He had goggles on for easier seeing, though the task still feigned complicated. Luckily, he was able to find the keys. He grabbed them in his mouth, then began to work his way back down the ladder.

"Miroku!" Sango screeched, filling the solid air with her pained voice. He raced down the ladder, and over to her entombed body, spitting out the keys into her hands.

"He is making great time! He got the key in no time." Joe commentated.  
"Shit." Ayame swore under her breath.

"It's okay." Koga assured.

Sango had the key in her shaking hands, and was attempting to get the key in the lock. It was hard because she couldn't see the padlock, not to mention the thousands of disgusting bugs creeping all over her skin.  
"Baby!" Sango shrieked, as more centipedes crawled up her torso.  
"You got it, Babe, just relax." Miroku consoled his terrified girlfriend. Sango finally slipped the key into the hole and successfully turned it, then let the heavy lock fall to the ground. Miroku opened the top to the sarcophagus that his girlfriend was encased in. He grabbed her, pulling her to safety, and she hopped into his arms. She was squealing, shaking off the bugs that were still trapped on her.  
"Are you okay?" Miroku asked, then kissed her before she could answer, ensuring her safety. As he pulled away, he caressed her ponytail and ran his fingers through a centipede making its way through her locks. He pulled it out, shaking it out of his hands.  
"I was so scared, Babe." She kissed him quickly, then the two walked over to the group.

"Congratulations, you two." Joe spoke. "How were the centipedes?"  
"Gross." Sango shuddered.  
"Oh, honey." Miroku consoled. "I had to stick my head in them." He reminded.  
"They were all over my body. They were in places, bugs should never be." She spoke monotonically.  
"Okay, too much info. You two made a great time, though. All that grossness was worth it. You've started it off with a really tough time to beat with one minute and thirty seconds. Great job." Joe said. Miroku and Sango kissed, and Joe turned to Koga and Ayame. "Now, here's the question. Do you two want to go now and get it over with, or send the other team to see what the time is?" Joe asked. Koga turned into Ayame, and they talked for a moment. Ayame seemed displeased with what her companion was telling her, but nodded anyways.

"We're sending InuYasha and Kagome." Koga told Joe.

"Okay." Joe nodded, looking towards Ayame, who looked less than happy about what Koga had said. He dismissed the chosen couple to get prepped. "Are you happy about this, Ayame?"

"I kinda wanted to go now, and get it over with. But Koga's insistent." Ayame answered.  
"I see." Joe responded.

Meanwhile, Kagome and InuYasha were down by the coffin that Kagome was to lie in and be covered with centipedes.  
"Baby, it's okay." InuYasha kissed her. He pulled her to him. She nodded curtly as he drew his fingers down her torso and tugged at the edge of her shirt. "You have to get ready now, Sweetheart." He told her. She drew back, taking off her teal spaghetti strap, revealing a white string bikini top with red rhinestone cherries on the left breast. She pulled down her black yoga shorts revealing the red and white bottoms to her top. She sighed and pulled back her raven hair. After giving InuYasha one last kiss, she slowly stepped into the sarcophagus, and it was closed upon her by Joe, who had stepped to them recently.  
"Okay Kagome, get your hands in position." Joe told the trembling girl. She pulled her hands up, then nodded. "And, here come the bugs." He then dumped in the entire bucket of centipedes, that began crawling over the girl's pale skin. She shrieked, much like Sango had, and Joe looked to InuYasha.  
"It's okay, Kagome. I love you. This is for our wedding." InuYasha was assuring the screaming girl.  
"And, go!" Joe shouted, and InuYasha took off, pulling the goggles he was given for the challenge. InuYasha began running towards the ladder and was soon up onto the platform, and in front of the box of bugs. He took a deep breath, then ducked his head in, trying to find the keys that would free his fiancee. He had to release himself for air, and after shaking off a couple bugs, ducked back in again. The second time was a charm for him, and he successfully found the key he was looking for, and began making his way back to the ladder.

"And he's onto the ladder. He better hurry, Kagome doesn't look too happy." Joe narrated.

"I'd say. They were disgusting." Sango shuddered. She was now back in her clothes, and Miroku had loaned his hoody to her. It was oversized on her small body, but super warm; A large, dark gray, fleece lined sweatshirt with 'Your approval isn't needed' printed on the front in somewhat faded white letters.  
"He just got to her." Joe brought the attention back to the game.

Kagome screamed for InuYasha, who was just handing her the keys. She grasped them, shaking terribly.

"It's all you now, Kags." InuYasha pressed. "I know you can do this. A little to the left. No, you're other left." He instructed her.

"I can't see the lock." Kagome made out, almost sobbing.

"Just move the key down a bit. Too far, go up. Now to the right. Okay, turn the key clockwise. No, the other way." InuYasha continued with instructions. Kagome was trembling so bad she could barely get the key into the lock, but eventually did with the instructions of InuYasha. The lock fell to the ground, and InuYasha opened the coffin, and helped his betrothed out of the bug box.

"Yash!" Kagome squealed, never being happier to see him in her life.  
"It's okay, Kags. It's okay." InuYasha consoled the trembling girl as she attempted to stifle sobs.

"So, how was it?" Joe asked as the two walked back over.  
"Horrific." Kagome answered immediately.  
"Well, that 'horrific' experience left you with a time of three minutes and eighteen seconds. That means, Sango and Miroku are still in the lead, and Ayame and Koga, are up. They must beat that time to move on, or you two do." InuYasha and Kagome nodded as Ayame and Koga made their way down to the game field.

In no time Ayame was in sarcophagus, and Joe was standing over her, threatening to pour bugs over her exposed body. She was in nothing but a lilac bikini, displaying her shapely body for the others to see. Joe poured the centipedes over her and she didn't do much as flinch as the thousands of insects crawled about her body.

"And, go!" Joe called to Koga, who ran to and up the ladder, and was soon on the platform. He pulled the goggles over his eyes, and ducked his head into the box that the keys were hidden in. After one, two, three failed attempts, he went in for a fourth, knowing he was short on time by now. Luckily, he got the keys this time, and ran to the ladder again, making his way back to the casket Ayame was in. He gave her the key and she attempted to get it unlocked. To no avail the first try, she rearranged her key and tried again. This time, the lock fell to the cement with a crash, and Ayame was freed from the bugs that she didn't seem to mind. Koga helped brush them off of her pale body, and he pulled Ayame into a hug.

"Well, this is a close one." Joe said as the two made their way over to the group.  
"How'd we do?" Ayame asked, eager to find out their standings.

"First, let me ask you, why didn't you freak out with the centipedes?" Joe asked the redhead.  
"They're just some bugs." Ayame shrugged.  
"Wow. Okay. Well, the time to beat was three eighteen. You two got. Three minutes, nineteen seconds." Joe read from his clock. "You missed it my one second."  
"Damn it." Koga swore.  
"It's okay, Koga. It wasn't meant to be." Ayame told him.  
"You know what this means, right?" Joe asked rhetorically.  
"Mhmm." Koga nodded.  
"Can I say something real fast?" Ayame interjected.  
"Shoot." Joe shrugged, letting the spunky girl talk. Ayame turned to Koga, her eyes locking with his.  
"Koga, there's been something I've been dying to say to you since the moment I met you." She began.  
"What's that?" Koga asked, nervous. She opened her mouth to speak, but chickened out, leaving her body to take over. She kissed Koga straight on the lips, pulling away a second later.  
"That." She bit her lip.  
"Whoa." Koga replied, shocked. "I like you too. Like that." He smiled.

"Whattaya know. Losing does lead to pretty big things." Joe said. "You two have been a blast to have on the show, thanks so much for being a part." And the twp walked off, hand in hand.

"Aww, they make a cute couple. I'm so happy for them." Kagome gushed.

"I know! They're like, two puzzle pieces." Sango agreed.  
"Okay, congratulations you four. You have made it to the final round. I'll see you tomorrow by the docks."

*.* _FEAR FACTOR_ *.*

The next, and final, day, the two final couples were standing by the docks, awaiting their final challenge.

"Today, the four of you will compete for fifty thousand dollars." Joe entered the area where the others were standing. "You see those jet skis over there? You'll each get on a jet ski and ride out to the five buoys, getting each of the flags. You can alternate, whatever you wanna do. Then you'll get off the skis and swim over to the suspended netting. Then climb up the netting and to into the helicopter. The catch? There are a few hundred water snakes swimming around in the playing field." He directed his glare out to the water. "If one of you falls off, the other can continue on. Whoever makes it to the chopper in the least amount of time, wins." Joe finished. The four smiled. "Now, we've selected today's order randomly. Sango and Miroku, you're up first." The couple looked at each other, nodding, then went off to prepare.

"They're all set. And, go!" He waved the flag, signaling the beginning of the clock. The two started their skis and raced out to the buoys. Sango was in the same bikini she sported the day before, and Miroku was wearing dark purple swim trunks, a white stripe down each side, and a tight white NIKE tank top, exposing his muscles. They had planned it out when they were getting ready that Miroku would stop at the first three and get the flags, and Sango would get the last two, and start swimming ahead, because she wasn't a strong swimmer. On the other hand, Miroku wasn't the best with climbing, so it was pretty even.  
Sango was getting to the first of her buoys- the fourth in line- just as Miroku was grabbing the second of his flags. She reached over and got her coveted flag, then raced off to the next buoy, a good fifty feet away. She got there, and easily retrieved the red cloth flag, and clipped it to her carabiner. Then, she dove off her jet ski gracefully, beginning the swim to the netting through the snake-infested waters.

Miroku had just gotten his third flag when Sango jumped off and he quickly raced to catch up with her. He got to the fifth buoy easily and leaped off of his own jet ski, swimming to catch up with his girlfriend.

"They're making pretty good time." Joe said. "They had a pretty good strategy." InuYasha and Kagome whispered to each other about something.  
"And now they're both at the netting. All they have to do is climb up. But swimming through the water can really wear out your arms." Joe said.

Miroku and Sango were about a quarter up the netting when Sango noticed something.

"Babe, my top is slipping." She called to her boyfriend, who was a few feet above her.  
"What?" Miroku asked.

"I'm not repeating myself." Sango scoffed.  
"Fix it, then." Miroku said, continuing to climb.  
"I can't. If I let go, I'll fall." Sango said.  
"Then your top falls off. Your choice." Miroku called down to her. Sango sighed heavily, pulling herself close to the net. She carefully let go with one hand and pulled her top back up into a comfortable position.  
"Better?" Miroku called down to her. He was almost at the top.

"Yes." She began to climb, fast. And before she knew it, she was at the top, climbing into the chopper with her boyfriend.

"We did it!" They cheered, kissing. Miroku smiled to her, then took off his tank top.

"What are you doing?" Sango asked. He didn't answer, but instead took the damp tank top and slipped it over his girlfriend's torso.

"There. Now no one gets to see them but me." He smiled, kissing her again.

Sango and Miroku were back at the dock, waiting for Joe to announce their time.

"So, it seems you were having a little issue up there on the net, Sango." Joe noted. The brunette blushed heavily.  
"Er," She tugged at the edge of the tank top she was wearing, "just a little one. My swimsuit top was sorta, slipping down." She refused to look at anyone as she made contact with the ground.  
"Well, it seems all good now, so, I bet you two are curious about your time." Joe spoke slyly.  
"Mhmm." Miroku nodded.  
"Well, I'll tell you when InuYasha and Kagome finish their course." Joe said, acknowledging the other couple. "Are you two ready?"  
"Yep." InuYasha nodded.

"Okay, go on now, and good luck." Joe called after them as they walked away.

InuYasha and Kagome were ready in no time, and Joe was ready to signal them.  
"Ready, set, go!" He shouted, and the two zoomed off. They had a method similar to Sango and Miroku's, as InuYasha went off to get the final two in line and Kagome got the first three. This didn't take very long and the two were soon swimming towards the netting.

"They're on a roll." Joe narrated. Sango squeezed Miroku's hand."|  
"It's okay, it's okay." Miroku assured.

InuYasha was on the netting, and climbing quickly up to the chopper. Kagome was close behind him.  
"Wedding, wedding, wedding." Kagome kept repeating to herself, giving her the drive to keep going. Her arms were sore from swimming, and she felt like at any second she was going to collapse.

"Just keep saying that, Kagome. We're almost there." InuYasha called back down.  
"Yash, I just can't. My arms are so sore." She called back.

"You can't give up now, Sweetheart." InuYasha encouraged. "I know you can do it. Just take a second to recuperate." He kept climbing, and was soon in the helicopter. She took the advice and stopped climbing for a moment, and rested for a moment. She took a breath and began climbing again.  
"Come on, babe." InuYasha said to himself. "I know you can do it."  
"Wedding, wedding, wedding." Kagome repeated to herself, and she was soon in reaching distance of the helicopter.  
"I know you can do it, Kags. Just a few more feet." InuYasha called down to her. She climbed up the last few feet and into the helicopter, arms shaking and all. "I knew you could do it." He kissed her on the lips, holding her in his arms.  
"I love you." She mumbled.

"I love you too." He repeated back to her.

The couple was back on the dock, and the four people were desperately awaiting the results.

"What was happening up there, Kagome?" Joe asked the onyx-haired girl.  
"About halfway up the net my arms started to throb. I was in a lot of pain, it felt like my arms were gonna fall off. I thought I wasn't gonna make it." Kagome told him.  
"But, you did, so that's good. But you're guys' time was 5 minutes, 7 seconds. Not terrible." Joe told them He looked to Miroku and Sango as they clung to each other.

"Well?" Miroku wondered impatiently.

"Miroku." Sango scolded playfully.

"Your guys' time was 5 minutes, 2 seconds."  
"We won?" Sango asked, dumbfounded. Joe nodded. She turned to Miroku, kissing him passionately. "We won!" She shrieked.

InuYasha and Kagome looked to each other, nodding in acceptance.  
"We'll find a way, I promise." InuYasha kissed her cheek.

"Congratulations you guys." Kagome prided her former competitors on their win.

"Thanks, and I know you guys'll find a way to pay for your wedding." Sango was beaming as she spoke. She found the passion between InuYasha and Kagome astonishing, and she wanted something as valuable as that with Miroku.

"Keep in touch?" Kagome smiled.  
"Definitely." Sango grinned back.  
"Er, Sango, I have something to say." Miroku interrupted.  
"Hmm?" The brunette wondered.  
"I bet you're wondering what I'm planning with the money," Miroku trailed off, nervous.  
"I've been asking you that for three weeks." Sango crossed her arms. Miroku grabbed her hands, pulling them to him as he knelt down. Sango gasped; She had butterflied in her stomach.

"Sango Taijiya, with the money, I'm going to take you to get the biggest, brightest engagement ring your eyes have ever seen. Marry me." He spoke romantically, his eyes twinkling in the sun.  
"Miroku," Her voice broke through tears of joy streaming down her face. She couldn't do anything else but nod. He stood off his knees, kissing her.

"I love you, Sango." Miroku told her.

"Well, that wraps up another fearful, and strangely loving, episode of _Fear Factor. _See you next time."


End file.
